2003: Your A to Z Guide to the Year in Medicine

ATKINS DIET This was the year the naysayers in the medical establishment got high-cholesterol egg on their faces. For three decades, the experts railed against Dr. Robert Atkins and his popular steak-heavy, high-fat, low-carb nutrition plan. Then came surprising new studies showing that the diet not only works (pound for pound, up to 100% better than low-fat diets) but also appears to be good for the heart, lowering triglycerides and raising HDL, the "good" cholesterol. Studies were small, however, and the results preliminary. The last word will probably have to wait for the big five-year, $2.5 million clinical trial, sponsored...